composite.im6

combine images using ImageMagick 6

TLDR

Overlay one image on top of another

$ composite.im6 [overlay.png] [background.png] [output.png]

Place overlay at a specific position

$ composite.im6 -geometry +[100]+[50] [overlay.png] [background.png] [output.png]

Blend images with transparency

$ composite.im6 -blend [50]% [image1.png] [image2.png] [output.png]

Apply multiply blend mode

$ composite.im6 -compose multiply [overlay.png] [background.png] [output.png]

Dissolve overlay into background

$ composite.im6 -dissolve [75]% [overlay.png] [background.png] [output.png]

Center the overlay on background

$ composite.im6 -gravity center [overlay.png] [background.png] [output.png]

SYNOPSIS

composite.im6 [options] overlay background [mask] output

composite.im6 is the ImageMagick version 6 command for combining images through compositing operations. It is functionally identical to composite but explicitly references the ImageMagick 6 installation, useful on systems where both ImageMagick 6 and 7 are installed.The tool overlays one image on another using various blending modes and positioning options. It supports mask-based compositing, watermarking, and dozens of composition operators matching professional image editing capabilities.On most systems, this command exists as a versioned alternative to ensure compatibility with scripts written for ImageMagick 6 when ImageMagick 7 is also present. The im6 suffix indicates the legacy API version.

PARAMETERS

-compose METHOD

Compositing operator: over, multiply, screen, overlay, darken, lighten, etc.

-geometry GEOMETRY

Position offset for overlay (+X+Y format).

-gravity TYPE

Anchor point: center, north, south, east, west, northeast, etc.

-blend GEOMETRY

Blend percentages for source and destination.

-dissolve PERCENT

Dissolve overlay into background at specified percentage.

-watermark BRIGHTNESS

Apply overlay as watermark with given brightness.

-tile

Tile the overlay image across the background.

-quality VALUE

Output compression quality (0-100).

-stegano OFFSET

Hide watermark within image using steganography.

-stereo +X+Y

Create a stereo anaglyph from two images.

-alpha TYPE

Activate, deactivate, or reset the alpha channel.

CAVEATS

ImageMagick 6 is in maintenance mode; new features are added to ImageMagick 7. Some systems may only have one version installed. Scripts using composite.im6 explicitly will fail on systems with only ImageMagick 7 installed.

HISTORY

ImageMagick was created by John Cristy in 1990. Version 6 was a long-standing stable release. When ImageMagick 7 introduced breaking changes in 2016, versioned command names were added to allow both versions to coexist, with .im6 suffix denoting version 6 commands.